DATE POSTED: Wednesday, 2023-03-15
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL
BY: Ed Algreen
SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 145:14-16; 20
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)
BIBLE TEXT: 14 The Eternal sustains all who stumble on their way. For those who are broken down, God is near. He raises them up in hope. 15 All eyes have turned toward You, waiting in expectation; when they are hungry, You feed them right on time. 16 The desires of every living thing are met by Your open hand. 20 All of you who love God – He will watch out for you, but total destruction is around the corner for all the wicked.
OBSERVATION: I often wonder how my family and friends without Christ must get along in life without the peace of God and the reassuring power of the One who created and operates this whole universe. For I am so content in knowing that my God reigns, and He is able to do more than we could every see or imagine. What a comfort to know Jesus as my Savior and to know that I could turn off the ‘worry’ button and just let Him have His way in our lives. What a faithful God we serve!
APPLICATION: Just in case we might be wavering on who our God is, or whether He is able to do all that He says in His Word, I find it comforting that the Psalmist penned the words in Psalm 145! For I believe that he was able to speak from personal experience and personal encounters with our awesome God! Be reminded of some key elements that the Holy Spirit promoted David to share about the faithfulness of his/our God:
- He sustains us when we stumble. This is especially interesting as I sit with older relatives who suffer from stumbling. Imagine still being able to continue on, knowing that our strength comes from the Lord! He sustains us even when, humanly, we tend to stumble. That’s our awesome God!
- When we fall and feel unable to get back up, God is near, and He shows His presence by giving us strength to rise with the hope of moving forward knowing that God is by our side.
- He feeds us, right on time. No worries about where the money will come from for groceries, or whether the store/restaurant is open, God will provide right on time. And God takes responsibility for mankind, and His precious animals as well. Imagine the thought of God opening His hand and allowing His creation to simply meet their needs! Wow!
But lest we become complacent and begin thinking that this awesome God will just care for everyone and show complete mercy on everyone – regardless of their decisions, actions, mindset, etc. We must also see in verse 20 that David reminds us that total destruction will come to the wicked. Friends, please be reminded that unless you accept the Lord Jesus as your Lord and Savior, your final destination will be eternal destruction in Hell with Satan. This is so opposite to what the believer in Jesus Christ can expect, but we serve a very just God. He will do what He promised, no matter the ties that bind the unbeliever with the believer.
BLESSING(S) NOTED: The desires of every living thing are met by the open hand of God! Oh what a Savior!
PRAYER: Lord You are God, and beside You there is no other. In our world today we find so many different religions and often their teaching will be so different that we might wonder how many gods there are. However, David reminds us of the One True God who will respond in one of two ways, depending on our decision regarding His Son. We enjoy heaven on earth, if we have accepted Jesus as Lord. However, for those who chose to ignore Jesus, they will not only experience Hell here on earth, but they will encounter more of the same, and even worse after death. The response for mankind appears obvious, but it seems almost impossible for some to believe, trust and accept. Open our eyes Lord, that we may see, glimpses of You like that explained by David. Please teach us to follow Your will so that we may enjoy Your promises of life eternally around the feet of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for all eternity. AMEN!